India and Pakistan are known for their infamous rivalry in terms pf politics, religion as well as sports. India vs Pakistan cricket match is one of the matches with the most viewership. This sports rivalry continued amongst the viewers of India and Pakistan during the Javelin throw match of India’s Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem.
Who Won What?
Arshad Nadeem, competing from Pakistan, won a gold medal for his performance in javelin throw. He threw the javelin at 92.97m distance which broke the previous Olympics record for the furthest distance. Neeraj Chopra, Javelin Throw gold medalist at Tokyo Olympics 2020, managed to acquire second place with the distance of 89.45m. He became a silver medal champion at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Relation Between Arshad and Neeraj
However big or small might be the rivalry between the viewers of India and Pakistan during the javelin throw finals match, Neeraj and Arshad did not care. Before Paris Olympics, Neeraj also helped Arshad in acquiring a new javelin after his old javelin became unusable. This shows the true sportsman spirit. Neeraj also mentioned that he and Arshad are competing since 2016 and this is the first time that Arshad went ahead of Neeraj in the competition.
Statement from Neeraj Chopra’s Mother
While Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra was unhappy with his performance and acquiring the second place, his mother, Saroj Devi was extremely happy with not only Neeraj’s performance but also Arshad Nadeem’s performance. Saroj Devi said, “We are very happy with the silver, the one who got gold is also our child and the one who got silver is also our child. All are athletes, all work hard. Nadeem is also good, he plays well, there is no difference between Neeraj and Nadeem. We got gold and silver there is no difference for us.”
Arshad Nadeem’s Mother’s Reaction
The feeling was mutual with Arshad’s mother when Saroj Devi, Neeraj’s mother said that Arshad is like her child. Arshad’s mother Raziah Parveen said, “They are not only friends but brothers and I also pray for Neeraj that he gets more success. Neeraj is also like our son and I pray for him that he wins medals. Winning and losing is part of sport but they are like brothers.”
Netizen’s Reaction
Fans were shocked to see Neeraj and Arshad’s mothers to be talking about their son’s competitors in such a good and respectful way. A comment suggested that while Neeraj has silver medal and Arshad has gold medal, their mothers are a diamond. A supportive comment read, “Imagine if world being run by mothers & not by politicians.” Another comment said that a mother is a mother, doesn’t matter if she is from India or Pakistan. A user said, “The unseen story of India and Pakistan. Love from India.”